If your garage is simply a place to haphazardly store items that you and your family just cannot seem to throw away for one reason or another, why not turn it into that man-cave you have always wanted. For those who are unsure about the definition of a man-cave, here are five essential elements that constitute a man-cave:

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The man-cave is usually a converted garage, spare bedroom, attic or any area with electrical access that is separate and distinct from areas frequented by females

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The man-cave is fully equipped with a refrigerator, high-definition/large screen television, state-of-the-art stereo system, computer with high-speed internet access, video game consoles (the Wii, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360) a DVD collection consisting of all kinds of movies except for chick-flicks and foreign films.

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Furniture in a man-cave consists of one well-worn couch, one or two easy chairs permanently stuck in the reclining position and several, stained floor pillows

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Two 30-gallon plastic trashcans placed next to each other by the refrigerator is an essential element because no one wants to empty both of them at the same time. With two trashcans, at least one remains empty most of the time.

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Finally, the items decorating the wall of a man-cave are frequently provided by the friends of the man-cave's owner. These one-of-a-kind wall hangings often consist of posters or framed digital photographs depicting women, fierce animals, sports teams or race cars.

Turning a Garage into a Man-Cave
A garage is a great place to create a man-cave because electricity is already installed and there is plenty of room to put all the essentials once it has been cleaned and organized. By implementing overhead rack storage systems, most of the items already in the garage can be safely stored near the ceiling. Homeowners can choose between manually operated overhead storage racks or electronically manipulated storage racks. Both types make stored items easily accessible at any time and will not interfere with the man-cave's distinct appearance.

Implementing garage organization components such as shelves, wall cabinets and floor cabinets will also allow a portion of the garage to still be used as a storage area for tools, garden and sports equipment. Flexible room dividers that attach to the ceiling can hang between the "garage" part and the "man-cave" part of the garage and effectively partition the two areas off from each other.

Garage Appliances Garage appliances such as refrigerators and trash compactors are especially designed for garage use because of their ruggedness, resistance to corrosion and ability to continue operating under extreme temperatures. Although a trash compactor is not a necessary element of the quintessential man-cave, it is handy to have in the garage to keep trash from accumulating, as it tends to do in a garage that contains a man-cave. In addition, garage heaters and wet/dry vacuums are other appliances that keep the garage comfortable, neat and organized all year long for the proprietor of the man-cave.